-
The Food and Drug Administration approved the first oral contraceptive, also known as "the Pill," for sale as birth control in the US.
-
The Women's Strike for Peace drew 50,000 women nationwide to protest nuclear weapons. It also drew women to protest US involvement in war in southeast Asia.
-
President John F. Kennedy issued an executive order establishing the President's Commission on the Status of Women. Kennedy appointed former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to chair the commission.
-
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan was published.
-
Anne Moody participated in the Woolworth's lunch counter sit-in. She also later wrote "Coming of Age in Mississippi."
-
John F. Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act of 1963.
-
Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in outer space, another Soviet first in the U.S. - U.S.S.R. "space race"
-
US President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This included the Title VII prohibition of discrimination based on sex by private employers including employment agencies and unions.
-
The Supreme Court struck down a law restricting access to contraception for married couples.
-
The National Organization for Women, also known as NOW, was founded. It set up task forces to work on key women's issues.
-
The Executive Order 11246 was amended by President Johnson. It dealt with affirmative action, to include sex discrimination on the list of prohibited employment discrimination.
-
The feminist group New York Radical Women was formed in New York City.
-
The National Welfare Rights Organization was formed in Washington D.C.
-
NOW formed a special committee to launch a major campaign for the Equal Rights Amendment.
-
Shirley Chisholm became the first African American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
-
The Women's Equity Action League broke off from NOW. They did this to avoid the "controversial" issues of sexuality, reproductive choice, and the Equal Rights Amendment.
-
The EEOC ruled that being female was not a bona fide occupational qualification of being a flight attendant.
-
The "Miss America Protest" was organized by New York Radical Women at the Miss America Pageant. It brought widespread media attention to women's liberation.
-
The Abortion Counseling Service of Women's Liberation began operating in Chicago. It used the code name "Jane."
-
Redstockings staged an abortion speakout, insisting that women's voices be heard on the issue. They wanted to be heard on the issue instead of only male legislators and nuns.
-
NOW activists marched into Washington D.C. for Mother's Day. They demanded "Rights, Not Roses."
